Italian family brings olive oil company to Tampa

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — A new olive oil company in Tampa is connecting the Caudine Valley of Italy with the beaches of Florida. They credit their success to a hard-working family and one specific type of olive.

Gilberto Mauriello, and his wife Nicoleta, grew up picking olives in their hometown of Montesarchio, Italy. They had no idea one day, they’d sell it in Tampa Bay.

Mauriello said no Costiera Extra Virgin Olive Oil bottle is quite the same. The ceramic jars are all made from scratch in Italy and shipped to the United States.

“This premium olive oil deserves a premium packaging,” said Mauriello. “Handcrafted, hand painted, and it takes a lot of time to do it, of course, but it’s the best packaging for this special olive oil.”

You could say he was born into the business.

“My family in Italy owns an oil mill, so we produce a high-quality premium olive oil from just one kind of olive called Peranzana,” said Mauriello.

The couple always had aspirations beyond Italy, and Tampa became the dream destination.

“We came down here like five or six times with my wife and the kids, fell in love with Tampa, family-friendly,” said Mauriello.

The small family business officially expanded to a second continent.

“We pick the olives from the tree, we bring them to our oil mill, and my cousin, Pasquale, he makes the olive oil,” said Mauriello.

The response from Tampa Bay restaurants and stores has been better than they could have ever hoped.

“Mazzaro's Italian Market, they were very, very kind, our first customers here,” said Mauriello.

He said the best part about sharing his family's olive oil with the people of Tampa Bay is the look on their faces when they try it.

“Well, they are used to buying olive oil in the supermarkets, so when they taste this olive oil, their eyes get large,” said Mauriello.

For more information on Costiera Extra Virgin Olive Oil and how to buy it, go to www.costieragroup.com.

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